Together
by night.nerd
Summary: Leo and Jemma were always very cautious never to cross the line that separated their friendship from the potential to be more, but things change as they consider taking that step together. [Day 2 of 23 for my Fitzsimmons Six-Word Story Countdown]


**Author's Note:** I'm just going to blaze through all the typical information really quick. ABC owns Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Furthermore, I do not have a Beta, so all mistakes are mine, and this is day two of my Fitzsimmons six-word story countdown for the premier of season two of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

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><p><em>You bring poetry to my lips.<em>

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><p>Fitzsimmons were always very cautious never to cross the line that separated their friendship from the potential to be more. It jeopardized what they had, the friendship that was of more value to them than anything else, and they could never risk it. However, there had been times when they had tentatively approached it – a kiss on the cheek, a brief brushing of hands in the lab, a gaze held for several seconds too long.<p>

After Fitz awoke from his coma, the memories of his underwater confession had made the line become even more tangible than usual, and both Fitz and Simmons found themselves wandering closer to it daily. The line had shifted as well, becoming the embodiment of the possibility that maybe he didn't feel the same way towards Jemma or she didn't return the feelings towards Leo, but they continued to curiously examine it. This behavior drove the team rather crazy, Skye in particular, to the extent where she finally had convinced May and Coulson to give into one of her grand schemes.

"Sorry, but where are you going again?" Simmons glanced over at Skye, disbelief etched into her soft features.

"AC, May, and I are headed to a new building to see if it could maybe be the next super-secret S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Pretty cool, right?" Though the grin upon her lips radiated authenticity, the story was completely fabricated by the hacker. They were really just going to do something to relax, such as sit down and watch a movie or two at the theatre and escape from reality for a few hours, but neither of the scientists detected the lie.

Fitz joined the conversation, walking over and standing by Simmons, their shoulders bumping slightly. "And you're sure you don't want us to be there?"

"Definitely. We've got this," Skye reassured them before giving each of them a quick hug. "We'll be gone for at least three hours, so don't wait up for us." Unbeknownst to Fitzsimmons, a triumphant grin tackled her lips as she retreated from the lab, her back towards them, and headed into town with May and Coulson in a heavily armored vehicle, not quite required for the situation but a preference of May's. Simmons and Fitz watched the remainder of their original team leave before turning to face one another, their movements in sync as usual.

Jemma spoke first, shattering the tension in the silence between them. "So, what do you want to do? We could continue-"

"Working on the improved ICERs, yeah," Fitz continued effortlessly, completing her sentences as though they shared a single mind, "I'm gonna try to make the machinery-"

"Smaller so we can increase the amount of dendrotoxin within a single shot, and I'm going to-"

"See if you can increase the concentration of the dentrotoxin." There was no beat of hesitation between them before they began working, a seamless pair of partners. Simmons was automatically handing the necessary tools over her shoulder as he rummaged through the drawers for spare parts, and he naturally adjusted the focus upon the microscope as he passed her while she was peering into the lens. It was a nonverbal connection that flowed between the two, ebbing and flowing as they pulled away and towards each other.

After a few moments of working this way, Fitz broke the silence by verbally asking Simmons if she could pass him the calipers in the drawer beside her. She complied without question, thoughts still focused upon the dendrotoxin that was being examined under the microscope. However, their fingers touched, electricity coursing throughout the two of them, and her mind was instantly cleared while he forgot about why he originally needed the calipers. They remained like that, the slight physical contact constant but rather new, for quite a few seconds before Simmons finally released the calipers and stepped away from her research. It was the first time they had both consciously recognized they were skimming against the line that generally kept them from actively acknowledging their not-so-platonic feelings and thoughts towards the other.

"Jemma?" Leo's voice, closer beside her than she had anticipated, drifts towards her, and she turns around to face him. The distance is also less than expected, causing her cheeks to be painted with a vibrant shade of red while his ears flush a matching color. "You alright?" She nodded. It was rather unconvincing, but he could not read her like her normally could to determine what was wrong and therefore had no idea how to further address the topic. They stood there with pounding hearts for a few moments longer before she stepped away. However, as she did so, her shoulder grazed his, and they locked gazes, his blue eyes actively searching her brown ones. Once again in synchronization, they gravitated towards one another, his hands settling gently upon her waist while she lightly wrapped her arms around his neck. The intimacy was unlike anything either of them had experienced before, especially with one another, and Jemma realized that they were treading upon the line; if they leaned the wrong way, they could plummet.

They gradually closed the distance together, each one leaning slightly forward as the other mimicked the action. It wasn't long before they were breathing the same air, somehow timing it so that she was inhaling while he was exhaling and vice versa. Their lips brushed together, softly at first as they began to explore one another in a way like they never had before. The slow, chaste kisses were fueled by years of repressed emotions, and they eventually turned to kisses that reveled in passion. Jemma brought him as close to her as possible, one of her arms wrapping around his neck while the hand of the other ran through his familiar curls, and Leo kept one hand drawing her towards him on the small of her back while the other tangled in her hair.

Time became fluid, for no earthy scale could ever be used to measure such an experience as they finally stepped over the line that had separated them for so long.

After a while, Jemma pulled back utterly breathless and immensely dizzy. The temptation to resuming kissing was nearly overwhelming, but she shoved it down in hopes of speaking. "You know Skye arranged this on purpose, right?"

Leo nodded, nearly as breathless as her. "Yeah, I know that. 'Course I know that." He glanced down at the girl in his arms – his partner, his friend, his Jemma – and his lips twisted into a smile. "I'm not complainin' though. Are you?"

"No, of course not." Jemma mirrored his smile, her cheeks flaming more than they ever had before while a brand new feeling swelled within her.

He drew her to him once again, pressing their lips together before murmuring, "Good."

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Okay, some quick backstory on this fic because it is currently 2:20am and I need to be up in five miserable hours - I realized a little while ago that I had not written any kind of kiss in over a year, and I figured I was long overdue... what's better than a kiss from my favorite scientist ship? Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it.

Please leave a review! What takes me hours to write takes you only moments to review! Thank you!


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